Mobile apparatus to mix and deliver concrete compositions or the like

ABSTRACT

This disclosure describes a mobile system comprising two tanks, a smaller tank resting on a larger tank, which when resting on the frame of the vehicle are in traveling position, with filler openings on the top surfaces. In operation position they are lifted and rotated about a transverse shaft at the rear end of the truck frame, forming essentially two vertical hopper type tanks. Hydraulic fluid pressure is provided to drive a hydraulic motor which operates a horizontally driven belt which carries dry fluent particulate matter from the bottom of the large tank toward the rear and dumps it into a longitudinal mixing and delivery means. Adjustable vane means are provided for controlling the level of fluent material on the belt. The fluent particulate material in the smaller tank is metered by means of a rotary vane type meter, from which it is discharged into the mixing and delivery means. The belt and the vane metering means are driven by the same motor so that the ratio of delivery of the two different materials is held in an adjustable fixed ratio, the adjustment being by means of the vane means for controlling the thickness of the layer of fluent material on the belt. The mixing and delivery means may comprise a screw conveyor which mixes the two components and delivers them to a discharge outlet.

Unlted States Patent 1 1 3,891,193

Perry, Jr. l June 24, 1975 l l MOBILE APPARATUS TO MIX AND two tanks. at smaller tank resting on a larger tank.

[)EUVER CONCRETE COMPOSITIONS OR which when resting on the frame of the vehicle are in THE LIKE traveling position. with filler openings on the top surfaces. In operation position the are lifted and rotated [75l Inventor: Perry Gemgemwn about a transverse shaft at the rear end of the truck [73] A i C t I d trie I frame. forming essentially two vertical hopper type Georgetown, Tex. tanks. Hydraulic fluid pressure is provided to drive a h draulic motor which 0 erates a horizontall driven [22] Ffled: 1974 biz It which carries dry fl ent particulate mattzzr from 121] Appl. No.: 447,650 the bottom of the large tank toward the rear and dumps it into a longitudinal mixing and delivery means. Adjustable vane means are rovided for con- [52] Cl 259M653 259M R trolling the level of fluent material on the belt The i i i 4 4. fluent pa e al n the smaller tank is Field g Search 259/154 tered by means of a rotary vane type meter from 1751178 which it is discharged into the mixing and delivery 214/2 means. The belt and the vane metering means are driven by the same motor 50 that the ratio of delivery References cued of the two different materials is held in an adjustable UMTED STATES PATENTS fixed ratio, the adjustment being by means of the vane 115L849 I0/l964 Maxon 259/161 means for controlling the thickness of the layer of flu 1306.589 2/1967 Udcn y l l 2 out material on the belt. The mixing and delivery 3341688 9/1967 Rms v A a A a v r 259/154 means may comprise a screw conveyor which mixes 1456-925 7/1969 Gallagher 359/178 R the two components and delivers them to a discharge 3 459 4()9 8/1969 Goldbcrger 259/178 R Outlet.

Primary Examiner-Robert We Jenkins [57) ABSTRACT This disclosure describes a mobile system comprising [0 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MOBILE APPARATUS TO MIX AND DELIVER CONCRETE COMPOSITIONS OR THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention lies in the field of mobile delivery means for dry fluent particulate materials. More particularly. it is concerned with the transporting and deliv cry in the form of a dry mixture. of two or more different materials which must be stored in separate tanks and mixed just prior to their use.

Still more particularly, it is concerned with the transport and delivery of sand and cement. in dry form. in precise ratio mixture. in a mixed condition. to a device for adding water. mixing and delivery to a surface for coating by the fluidized mixture.

In the prior art attempts have been made to carry the sand and cement in a rotating cement mixer and carrier in a dry condition. However. because of the nature of the cement. any moisture which may enter the rotating mixer tends to cause the cement to agglomerate and partially set. which means that when the time comes for delivery of the mixture it does not flow readily from the mixer. Severe heating and vibration of the mixer is often required to dislodge the agglomerated material which. after it is dislodged. may not be in condition to pass through the succeeding apparatus for mixing with water and flowing to the work surface.

Other systems have been used in which the two materials are carried in separate tanks and are applied to a dry mixer after being measured out in various conventional ways.

Both of these systems have proved to be too slow. inconvenient and expensive to make a commercially operable system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of this invention to provide a unitarybody for a vehicle for the purpose of transporting. delivering and metering dry fluent particulate ma terial.

It is a still further object to provide means to keep the two materials separated and one of them sealed until delivery is required and to simultaneously meter the dclivery in any selected ratio of volume per unit time. to a mixing and delivery means.

These objects and other objects are realized and the limitations of the prior art are overcome in this inven tion by providing a vehicle which has two separate tanks. which are part of a unitary body. constructed on a frame which is hingedly fastened to the vehicle frame by a horizontal shaft means at the rear end of the vehicle. The sand tank is filled through an opening at the front end while the smaller cement tank is filled through a top opening. having a removable closure. Thus. whenever the cententis-Mg unloaded it can be ke t sealed against the moisture in the air. At the delivery site the body is hingedly lifted, by hydraulic means. so that the two tanks are now essentially vertical. with hopper constructions at the bottoms of both tanks. Synchronous feed and metering means are provided to deliver material from'the large tank onto a moving belt and into a mixing and deligery means. while the material in the smaller tank is simultaneously metered by a rotary vane means to be delivered to the same mixing means. The belt and the cement metering means are driven by the same hydraulic motor. The

mixing and delivery means comprises a screw conveyor which is driven by a second hydraulic motor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects and advantages of the invention. and a better understanding of the principles and details of the invention will be evident from the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings. in which:

FIG. 1 represents a side view of the apparatus of this invention in the operating position for delivery of material.

FIG. 2 indicates the general contour of the equip ment when mounted on a delivery vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the metering and delivery portions of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a hydraulic circuit diagram for the various drives and controls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings. there is shown in FIG. I a vehicle body indicated generally by the numeral 10. This comprises a horizontal frame 12 on which two tanks. indicated by numerals 32 and 34. are con structed as a unitary body. The frame 12 is hingedly mounted by shaft 14 at the rear end of the frame I6 of the vehicle. In traveling position the frame I2 of the body rests completely on the frame 16 of the vehicle In the delivery position the body is raised and rotated about the shaft 14 by hydraulic actuator means 18 until the wall 20. shown dashed. which divides the two tanks 32 and 34. is essentially in a vertical position and the mass of the entire body and contents is substantially equally balanced about the axis comprising the shaft 14. but with a slight overbalance keeping it in an upright position.

A secondary small cylinder 24 is provided for the purpose of starting the body back toward its horizontal position. from the vertical position. The body being lowered by means of the hydraulic actuator I8 until it rests on the frame 16 of the vehicle.

The larger 32 of the two tanks is built onto the frame 12 and it comprises (when the body is lowered to traveling position) a bottom plate 25, a forward end plate 26 an open area on top 28, a wall 20, which separates the tank 32 from the tank 34 and a hopper portion 30. The second smaller tank 34 is attached to the larger tank with a common wall 20. The smaller tank has the bottom wall 20, a forward end wall 36, a covered filler opening 38 which seals the tank, a top wall 40 and a hopper portion 41.

The overall contour of the body 10 is shown mounted on a truck 1] in FIG. 2 which corresponds to the traveling position.

As shown in FIG. 2, because of the great weight of the body and contents and because of the compliant springing of the truck. whcirthc body is in raised position it may become unstable. A pair of outriggers are provided. indicated in FIG. 2 as hydraulic cylinders attached to transverse arms. These force a plate 76 into contact with the earth so as to provide lateral stability and leveling action for the raised bodyv As shown in greater detail in FIG. 3 the lower portion of tank 32 is a hopper 30. There is an opening 44 in the side wall through which a plate can be inserted so as to close off the bottom end of the hopper. for use during 3 the transporting operation. When the delivery is to be started and the body is in a raised position, the plate in the opening 44 is pulled out by means of the levers 45. which are hinged about the axis 46.

The lower portion of the hopper 30 at the opening 44 ends at the top surface of a traveling belt 50. which is driven toward the rear of the truck over two rollers SI and 52. The material in the tank 32 is generally sand. and will be described as sand. for convenience. The sand falls down through the hopper 30. onto the belt 50 and is guided by side walls (not shown]. There is a hinged vane 58. which acts as a scraper to provide a variable spacing 66 between the vane and the belt so that the level or thickness ofthc layer of sand which is carried away from the hopper by the belt is of selected magnitude. The lever 62 is hinged at point 63. and con trols the position of the vane 58 and the spacing 66. The sand that is carried to the rear on the top of the belt falls over the roller 52 in accordance with arrow 68 into a delivery and mixing means. indicated by numeral 70. and is carried to the rear, to be delivered out of the opening 24.

The material in the second tank 34 (which will be described as cement) falls down into a hopper 4] at the bottom. In the portion 43 is a shutoff which is used in the traveling position. When the shutoff 43 is open. the material then falls down into a rotary vane type metering means 53 which is a well known article of commerce. which discharges into the mixing and transport means 70. Thus. if it is considered that sand is carried in the large tank and cement is carried in the small tank. the sand is discharged from the large tank and moves to the rear and falls into the mixing and delivery device 70. The cement falls into the same device 70 and is mixed with the sand and delivered to the rear to the opening 24.

A preferred form of the mixing and delivery means is a rotating screw conveyor which is driven by a chain and sprocket 72. driven by a hydraulic motor (not shown). However. other means for mixing and delivery can be devised.

The belt 50 drive and the rotary valve 53 are controlled by a chain 54 which is driven by hydraulic motor 56. Since the two materials are driven by the same motor. they therefore flow in constant proportion to the mixing means 70. The ratio of sand to cement can be controlled by the vane 58, to be any selected ratio of weight or volume per unit time.

In normal operations. the output of dry mixed sand and cement front opening 24 will go a device where the sand and cement are mixed with water to be carried by air pressure through a hose to a working surface. Here the wet sand-cement mixture is applied to the surface. This portion ofthe equipment forms no part of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 4. there is shown a schematic hydraulic diagram of the control system. There is a motor dri\ en pump I which takes hydraulic liquid from a sump tank I04 through line I02 and deliver it at high pressure to a master control valve I06, which then presents the high pressure hydraulic liquid at pres sure P by means of line I08 to a series of control val cs 116, I18. I20. I22. The first control valve 110 is hit the purpose of controlling the lift cylinder 18 through conduit I24 and the draw down cylinder 34 through conduit I26. As shown by the arrous I-Il there is an off position. with the two operating positions. a direct positill tion in which the spool I16 is moved upward and a reverse position in which the spool 116 is moved downward. In the off position. the high pressure liquid goes through bypass IIO to the low pressure. or tank pres sure T. on line II2 through filter I I4 back to the sump I04. In the direct position. the high pressure liquid is applied through line 24 to the lift cylinder I8 and the sump I04 is connected to the draw down cylinder 24.

The two controls IIS and I are connected by lines 128A and 1288. respectively. to the two outrigger cy linders 75A and 758. which operate in conventional manner.

The fourth control spool I22 in the direct position passed high pressure liquid through line I30. through the first I32 of a pair of adjustable leak valves which deliver it through line I42 to the second valve 134 and back through line I44 to the low pressure lead I which goes back to the tank 104. By this means the highest pressure is delivered through line I36 to the mixer motor I38 which controls the mixing and delivery device 70. This requires the first priority of hydraulic pressure since whatever material is coming out of the tanks must be carried away to the outlet 24 in order not to fowl up the entire mechanism. So the mixing and delivery device motor I38 has the priority of pressure and the motor I38 takes this pressure and delivers the power and the fluid then passes by line 140 back to the sump 104. The reduced pressure goes by line I46 to the feeder and metering motor 148 which discharges through line ISO to line I40 and back to the sump I04.

There are two important conditions, namely that the mising and delivery have the priority of pressure and that the two metering devices. that is the belt and vane 58 for controlling thickness of layer of sand and the vane type rotary meter 53. which meters the cement. must be in constant fixed ratio. one with the other.

Shown at 42 is a vibrator means for vibrating the wall of the hopper 41. These can be electrically or pneumatically powered and may be applied to both tanks.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components. It is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein by way of exemplifying the invention. but the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims. including the full range of equi alency' to which each element or step thereof is entitled.

What is claimed is:

I. A mobile storage and delivery system for a plurality of dry fluent particulate materials. comprising:

a. a mobile frame b. a body mounted on said frame and hinged at the rearward end of said frame and means to lift and rotate said body through a selected angle;

c. said body including two tanks. at large tank resting on said frame and a small tank resting on said large tank. such that yy hen said body is lifted and rotated through said selected angle. the common wall between aid two tanks will be substantially \crtical with the mall tank rear ard of said large tank;

d. the bottom ends of both tanks in the raised position comprising hoppers. adapted to feed fluent material from thc bottoms of said tanks;

e. first flow metering means comprising horizontal helt means helovv the hopper of said large tank. the helt surface moving rearwardly and overhanging the forward end of a mixing and delivery means and including means to control the level of fluent material carried on said helt:

second flow metering means controlling the flow of fluent material from said small tank and delivering said material from said small tank into said mixing and delivery means; and wherein g. said first and second metering means are driven in fixed speed relation.

2. The system as in claim I in which said mixing and delivery means comprises a screw conveyor.

3. The system as in claim 2 including hydraulic drive means for said screw conveyor means and said metering means. and means to provide priority of power to said screw conveyor means.

4. The system as in claim 1 including stabilizer means at both sides of said frame at the rearward end and means to independently adjust the length of each stahilizer means so as to support and level said frame while said body is in the raised position.

5. The system as in claim I in which said first metering means comprises adjustable vertical vane means to control the thickness of the layer of fluent material from the hopper of said large tank placed on said belt.

6. The system as in claim I in which said second metering means comprises rotary vane means.

7. The system as in claim 6 in which said rotary vane means is driven by the same power means that drives said belt.

8. The system as in claim 1 in which when said frame is in its lowered position. said large tank extends for- \vardly of said small tank and both tanks have filler openings on their top surfaces.

9. The system as in claim I including shutoff means to close the bottom opening of at least one tank while traveling.

10. The system as in claim 1 including vibrator means on the wall of at least one tank. 

1. A mobile storage and delivery system for a plurality of dry fluent particulate materials, comprising: a. a mobile frame b. a body mounted on said frame and hinged at the rearward end of said frame and means to lift and rotate said body through a selected angle; c. said body including two tanks, a large tank resting on said frame and a small tank resting on said large tank, such that when said body is lifted and rotated through said selected angle, the common wall between said two tanks will be substantially vertical with the small tank rearward of said large tank; d. the bottom ends of both tanks in the raised position comprising hoppers, adapted to feed fluent material from the bottoms of said tanks; e. first flow metering means comprising horizontal belt means below the hopper of said large tank, the belt surface moving rearwardly and overhanging the forward end of a mixing and delivery means and including means to control the level of fluent material carried on said belt; f. second flow metering means controlling the flow of fluent material from said small tank and delivering said material from said small tank into said mixing and delivery means; and wherein g. said first and second metering means are driven in fixed speed relation.
 2. The system as in claim 1 in which said mixing and delivery means comprises a screw conveyor.
 3. The system as in claim 2 including hydraulic drive means for said screw conveyor means and said metering means, and means to provide priority of power to said screw conveyor means.
 4. The system as in claim 1 including stabilizer means at both sides of said frame at the rearward end and means to independently adjust the length of each sTabilizer means so as to support and level said frame while said body is in the raised position.
 5. The system as in claim 1 in which said first metering means comprises adjustable vertical vane means to control the thickness of the layer of fluent material from the hopper of said large tank placed on said belt.
 6. The system as in claim 1 in which said second metering means comprises rotary vane means.
 7. The system as in claim 6 in which said rotary vane means is driven by the same power means that drives said belt.
 8. The system as in claim 1 in which when said frame is in its lowered position, said large tank extends forwardly of said small tank and both tanks have filler openings on their top surfaces.
 9. The system as in claim 1 including shutoff means to close the bottom opening of at least one tank while traveling.
 10. The system as in claim 1 including vibrator means on the wall of at least one tank. 